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The birds & wildlife of Gateshead (1 Viewer)

One Man and His Dog

One Man and His Dog

GATESHEAD BIRDER
As the last gateshead thread has died, i thought id bring back to life whats happening in gateshead and my local area of the lower derwent valley. I do 99% of my birding in gateshead with my border collie (tilly), unless a rarity turns up elsewhere?. so i thought id revive a gateshead thread for somewhere to make my reports, and hopefully for any readers to post there reports and photos. My first report is of dipping on a reported coues artic redpoll on the derwent country park, although i had a possible two sightings of a artic? but not a tickable view. I did have 5 mealys with a small flock of of lesser redpolls, also in area 4 dipper,20+siskin,red kite,buzzard,green woodpecker. A rare visit to far pastures produced 15 reed buntings from hide, thornley woods treecreeper performing well with 2 lesser redpolls drinking from pool, also yellowhammer,brambling and fox showing. heres a few photos from my day out. Out on bike again tomorrow with tilly, so fingers crossed for that coues artic redpoll???
cheers
steve
 

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I think your photo above captioned as Mealy Redpoll is actually a Lesser. Not the best of angles to see the full wing structure, but it does appear to have relatively short wings and little primary projection. Compare it to the wing structure on the attached photo (one of Ray Scotts - hope you're OK with me attaching it to illustrate a point mate!) - very long primaries as benefits a bird which migrates great distances. The ground colour to the lower flanks is also a bit buffy and the wing bar is not as clean as you'd hope for a Mealy.

I'm not too convinced on the possible Arctic Redpoll photographed (on the Gateshead Birders website). It looks to have a long spikey bill, and the flank streaks are quite prominent and extend well down the flanks. A pale rump is only part way to being an Arctic... However, photos don't always tell the full story - maybe the undertail and other features noted may be more promising.

Mark
 

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Mark Newsome said:
I think your photo above captioned as Mealy Redpoll is actually a Lesser. Not the best of angles to see the full wing structure, but it does appear to have relatively short wings and little primary projection. Compare it to the wing structure on the attached photo (one of Ray Scotts - hope you're OK with me attaching it to illustrate a point mate!) - very long primaries as benefits a bird which migrates great distances. The ground colour to the lower flanks is also a bit buffy and the wing bar is not as clean as you'd hope for a Mealy.

I'm not too convinced on the possible Arctic Redpoll photographed (on the Gateshead Birders website). It looks to have a long spikey bill, and the flank streaks are quite prominent and extend well down the flanks. A pale rump is only part way to being an Arctic... However, photos don't always tell the full story - maybe the undertail and other features noted may be more promising.

Mark
Click to expand...

Thanks for your input mark, its all about learning! i'll get back in touch with birdguides as they displayed it as a mealy, tricky ones redpolls?
cheers
steve
 
One Man and His Dog said:
Thanks for your input mark, its all about learning! i'll get back in touch with birdguides as they displayed it as a mealy, tricky ones redpolls?
cheers
steve
Click to expand...


Hello Steve
Look forward to reading how you get on through the year - Gateshead as an area seems to be realy well geared up for birders, wildlife & nature enthusiasts.

Had a look round Birtley Swg area before Xmas - superb selection of habo round there..... - Bittern on those ice free pools is surely long overdue...

Enjoyed watching you piling them onto that Surfbirds garden list last year :t:

See you again in about 3 year or so


PS: - whats a Coues Arctic Warbler ;-)
 
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StevieEvans said:
Hello Steve
Look forward to reading how you get on through the year - Gateshead as an area seems to be realy well geared up for birders, wildlife & nature enthusiasts.

Had a look round Birtley Swg area before Xmas - superb selection of habo round there..... - Bittern on those ice free pools is surely long overdue...

Enjoyed watching you piling them onto that Surfbirds garden list last year :t:

See you again in about 3 year or so


PS: - whats a Coues Arctic Warbler ;-)
Click to expand...

cheers stevie
your right about a bittern overdue at birtley reed beds, cracking area and its had a few goodies already. Not doing so much from garden this year it seemed to take over my life last year, found myself rushing home from a days birding :-O. Had some cracking ticks yourself from garden, ive noticed your going for it again. Probably bump into you at shibdon some time in the next few years? :t:


cheers
steve

PS: whats a coue's artic redpoll? spelling error corrected, i'll post a few more of them. cheers :-O:-O:-O
 
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Mealy or Lesser outcome?

Mark Newsome said:
I think your photo above captioned as Mealy Redpoll is actually a Lesser. Not the best of angles to see the full wing structure, but it does appear to have relatively short wings and little primary projection. Compare it to the wing structure on the attached photo (one of Ray Scotts - hope you're OK with me attaching it to illustrate a point mate!) - very long primaries as benefits a bird which migrates great distances. The ground colour to the lower flanks is also a bit buffy and the wing bar is not as clean as you'd hope for a Mealy.

I'm not too convinced on the possible Arctic Redpoll photographed (on the Gateshead Birders website). It looks to have a long spikey bill, and the flank streaks are quite prominent and extend well down the flanks. A pale rump is only part way to being an Arctic... However, photos don't always tell the full story - maybe the undertail and other features noted may be more promising.

Mark
Click to expand...

Hi mark
regarding the id of the redpoll in photo, im going to have to stand my ground on it been a mealy. Recieved email from birdguides to confirm id as a mealy, also confirmed by other birders. As for the arctic redpoll (possible) on gatesheadbirders website, i believe it didnt show any undertail coverts? but i couldnt comment any further on id, as i didnt see the bird in question. Back to mealy redpoll photo, feel free to add photo to id thread for any feed back if your still not convinced.
cheers
steve
 

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One Man and His Dog said:
Hi mark
regarding the id of the redpoll in photo, im going to have to stand my ground on it been a mealy. Recieved email from birdguides to confirm id as a mealy, also confirmed by other birders. As for the arctic redpoll (possible) on gatesheadbirders website, i believe it didnt show any undertail coverts? but i couldnt comment any further on id, as i didnt see the bird in question. Back to mealy redpoll photo, feel free to add photo to id thread for any feed back if your still not convinced.
cheers
steve
Click to expand...

Hi Steve,

No problem! ID'ing birds from a single photo is never easy, and especially so with Redpolls. To me, the primary projection still looks rather short for a Mealy, but I've been getting a bit weary looking at Redpolls lately. Redpolls are all just blurring into one (which is maybe the best way!).

As for the possible Arctic, again one 'record shot' photo doesn't always tell the full story. Hopefully it'll be refound. I hope it did have some undertail coverts - it'll get a cold bum in this weather without them!

Mark
 
One Man and His Dog said:
cheers stevie
your right about a bittern overdue at birtley reed beds, cracking area and its had a few goodies already. Not doing so much from garden this year it seemed to take over my life last year, found myself rushing home from a days birding :-O. Had some cracking ticks yourself from garden, ive noticed your going for it again. Probably bump into you at shibdon some time in the next few years? :t:


cheers
steve

PS: whats a coue's artic redpoll? spelling error corrected, i'll post a few more of them. cheers :-O:-O:-O
Click to expand...


Hey One Man,
have a look at your totals at the bottom of your posts.... thats the Coues arctic Warbler i was refering to :king:

Im looking to confirm breeding for LSW this year, so i'll be making 1 or 2 visits up your way (amongst other places) come late Feb / early March....
you'll probably end up with a one in your monster garden :-O
 
StevieEvans said:
Hey One Man,
have a look at your totals at the bottom of your posts.... thats the Coues arctic Warbler i was refering to :king:

Im looking to confirm breeding for LSW this year, so i'll be making 1 or 2 visits up your way (amongst other places) come late Feb / early March....
you'll probably end up with a one in your monster garden :-O
Click to expand...

Cheers stevie
just realised what you meant "warbler" where did i get that one from? :-O
love a LSW in garden! cracking one that would be, always keeping an eye out for one in the derwent valley but no luck as yet. Keep you informed of any sightings. :t:

Out on daily bike ride to give tilly her exersise and had 3 singing dippers and a singing song thrush, 12 lesser redpolls and one mealy redpoll in the derwent cp today. Female goldeneye still on the derwent near the tennis courts and 2 siskins flew over, no big flocks of siskin today? Morning off work tomorrow, so will be having a run out somewhere in the borough.
cheers
steve
 
usual rounds

Started off in the ravensworth fell area where i had 2 little owls, 1 common buzzard, 58 golden plover fly over and 2 kestrel,96 fildfare,3 red-legged partridge. next stop was birtley reed beds where i had 1 woodcock,1 goldcrest,1 buzzard, 1 kestrel, 12 lesser redpolls and a host of commener birds along the way, tilly had a great time jumping and playing in the streams as you can tell by the attached photo! :t:
cheers
steve
 

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cracking shot

hi Iain
you've got to be happy with that one :t:
i've been a bit under the weather of recent, that's why i have'nt posted anything. on the mend now though?
cheers
steve
 
Back to birding!!!

Out and about once again!
a bit late news first of all-late feb produced 100+flock of redpolls in the derwent cp, 30+ birds were mealys but no artics with them, also 2 pink-footed geese at lamsley. Late feb also seen the return of oystercatcher~chiffchaff~kittiwake.
Todays outing took me to shibdon pond~derwenthaugh staithes~costco tyne~timber beach~dunstan staithes~gateshead quayside~lamsley water meadows~birtley reed beds~bishops pool~burdon moor. It turned out to be a quite day, highlight of the day was at the tyne bridge watching the kittiwakes. Heres a few photos from today and lets hope tomorrows outing produces a few more sightings (hawfinch hunting) :eek!:, fingers crossed?
cheers
steve :t:
 

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Hawfinch hunting! as if!!!

Yes you guessed it (no hawfinch), you did'nt really think i'd get one did you?
anyway back to the serious birding, sites visited today - victoria garesfield ~ derwent walk cp (raptor watch) ~ shibdon pond
birds seen 51-
garden whilst getting ready:
pheasant
chaffinch
blackbird
stock dove
blue tit
robin
great tit
wood pigeon
grey heron
carrion crow
siskin
nuthatch
dunnock
wren
collard dove
Victoria Garesfield:
jackdaw
starling
bhgull
magpie
mistle thrush
bullfinch
coal tit
lttit
treecreeper
gswoodpecker
tawny owl (calling)
goldcrest
redwing
Derwent Walk cp (raptor watch): 4 1/2 hours
7 x buzzard
9 x red kite
3 x sparrowhawk
2 x kestrel
jay
lapwing
common gull
greenfinch
curlew
Shibdon Pond:
mute swan
canada goose
shelduck
moorhen
mallard
coot
cormorant
teal
goldfinch
19 x snipe
gbbgull
herring gull
oystercatcher
lbbgull
and that's it for today's outing, back on bike in morning to give tilly her run and another chance to do a bit of birding.
cheers :t:
steve
 
hi stevie
i dont think ravensworth gets the coverage it deserves, i only give a 1/2 hour scan from behind the pub when im doing my rounds,even though ive had a few good birds from there. I usually just stick with the derwent valley for my raptor watching, its usually kind to me? fingers crossed it is this year!
cheers
steve
 
One Man and His Dog said:
hi stevie
i dont think ravensworth gets the coverage it deserves, i only give a 1/2 hour scan from behind the pub when im doing my rounds,even though ive had a few good birds from there. I usually just stick with the derwent valley for my raptor watching, its usually kind to me? fingers crossed it is this year!
cheers
steve
Click to expand...

Yes, you dont do too badly up that valley. :t:

are you doing any travelling this year or mostly G'head area ? - other than the half inch, what else is "missing" off your Ghead 2011 list ?
 
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